A group of House lawmakers led by Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday, whose lead sponsor is Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., and would bypass any Obama administration role in the Keystone XL pipeline by approving the project with congressional powers. More »

Pipelines and foreign corporations spurred a surge in the value of mergers and acquisitions in the oil and gas industry in 2011, marking a new phase in the burgeoning U.S. shale boom, according to a report released Wednesday. More »

BP Plc (BP/) is negotiating with U.S. officials to settle pollution claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill that may leave the company liable for as much as $17.6 billion in fines, a person familiar with the talks said. More »

Oversight of drilling and hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on federal land is “erratic and inconsistent” and in a decade led to about $300,000 in fines, according to report released by U.S. House Democrats. More »

Ohio’s top law enforcer is advocating increased environmental sanctions on polluters in the oil and gas industry and required disclosures of the chemicals used in the drilling technique called fracking that would be among the toughest in the nation. More »

Federal officials investigating a pipeline break that spilled 1,500 barrels of oil into a Montana river said Wednesday that few companies take river erosion and other risks into account when evaluating pipeline safety. More »

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